The King Who Solves

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

THE KING WHO SOLVES

1 Kings 1:11-27

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David's knowing it? 12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, 'My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said." 15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed low and knelt before the king. "What is it you want?" the king asked. 17 She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals." 22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And they told the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, "Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

NIV

Nathan the prophet has always been faithful to King David. He was there in the beginning, and it was Nathan who pointed out David’s sin with Bathsheba and then Uriah. Now, as David is old, Nathan is still there protecting his sovereign, letting him know, first, through his wife, Bathsheba, then confirming the same thing about David’s son Adonijah taking up the position of king, without his father’s knowledge or blessing. We know from the rest of the narrative that David takes account of and will solve this situation as only the king of Israel could do. He will have his son Solomon anointed as king. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The point that we see here is that Nathan knows the king is the solution to the problem and that two witnesses to the problem are better than one. Although Jesus said that his witness is true. However, he also said that if someone has sinned that it is right to go to them, and if they do not listen, take another witness. But the truth we see in this narrative is that the king is the solution to the problem of Adonijah trying to become king. Our King of kings, Jesus, the Lord of lords, is the solution. First, to the major issue of life. If we do not come before Him, bowing low to the ground, we will not be given life, but will be subject to death. He has promised that because we came to Him and bowed before Him, acknowledging Him as our Lord and Savior, that even though we die, we will live. That alone is huge; that is the major issue in our lives, but there is more. Second, He has promised that if we come to Him, bowing before Him, asking according to His name, He will do it for us. We can come to Jesus with all our problems, and He will solve them. Sure, there may be times, He might tell us how we are to act, or what action we need to take for the problem to be solved. Other times, He just does it, and we just need to be still and know that He is God. Our Lord, the King of Heaven and Earth, can move mountains or make them tremble. He can divide the water, pile it up, or walk on it. He can calm the storm, and that includes any storm in our lives. Nathan had Bathsheba bring the problem to King David, and he confirmed it. The difference is that David did not know the problem until it was brought to him. Our King of kings, our Lord of Lords, knows the problem even before we do. He knows our words before we speak them, as He knows our thoughts before we think them. If he didn’t, then He would not be God. But He does, He knows our hearts, yet He still wants us to come to Him, with thanksgiving in our hearts and present our petitions, our problems before Him, and He will give us His peace. The King will solve the problem. He is the solving King.